Improvement in the processes of inlaying wood



- 3 Sheets-Sheetl J. THORNTON & J. THALLON.

PROCESS 0F INLAYIN'G W00 1\I0 186,180I Jan. 9.1877.

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BSheets-Sheet 3. J. THORNTON & J. THALLON.

PROCESS 0F INLAYING WOOD.

Patented Jan. `9, 1877.

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N- FETERS, PHOTQJJHOGRPHER, WASHINTON. D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES THORNTON, OF GROWNDALE ROAD, OAMDENV TOWN, AND JAMES THALLON, OFLONGFORD STREET, REGENTS PARK, ASSIGNORS TO GEORGE HOWARD, OF BERNERSSTREET, OXFORD STREET, MIDDLE- SEX COUNTY, ENGLAND.

MPROVEMENT IN THE PROCESSES OF INLAVING WOOD.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 186,180, dated January9, 1877; application tiled December 30, 1875.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, JAMES THORNTON, ofGrowndale Road, Camden Town, and JAMES THALLON, of Longford street,Regents Park, both in the county of Middlesex, England, have invented anImproved Process of Inlaying Wood, of which the following is aspecication:

This invention relates to a novel process of inlaying woods with coloredwoods and equivalent ornamental substances for the produc- .tion ofparqnetry and marquetry work, whereby a great economy will be obtained,the work of mechanical pressure being substituted for operative skill.

In carrying out our invention we may use the pressure of rollers or ofhydraulic or other presses, according to the nature of the designintended to be reproduced, the same being provided with or acting uponrigid surfaces, which are the counterpart of the pattern or design, or aportion thereof, which it is intended to apply to the surface requiredto be ornamented.

We propose by our invention to produce patterns in one, two, or morecolors suitable for floors and walls, and also to ornament furniture andother cabinet `work with colored woods, ivory, horn, or other ornamentalmaterials.

The invention consists, substantially, in applying to the surface of thewood to be ornamented a veneer, or two or more overlying veneers, andthen, by means of mechanical pressure, bringing down a roller or die ordies upon such overlying veneer or veneers with a force sufficient todrive the portions of the veneers underlying the raised surfaces of theroller, die, or dies into the backing-wood to such depth or depths aswill insure the portions of the veneers that are to compose the patternbeing brought to a level with the surface of the backing-wood. When thisis effected the superduous overlying veneer is to be removed, and theinlaid patern will then be exposed to view, the bed or backing formingthe ground of the design. i

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l shows a simple parquetry pattern,suitable for floors and walls, and Fig. 2 is a section of the same. Thispattern may be formed by the aid either of a flat die or plate or of anengraved roller, as thought most desirable. The wood backing, whetherconsisting of oak or other ordinary wood, is overlaid by a veneer, asshown in the section, Fig. 3, the color of the veneer being determinedby the taste of the designer, a good contrast to the backing-wood beingmost desirable.

The veneer is, by preference, to be attached to the backing by means ofglue or other suitable adhesive material, preference being given to thatcement which will not soften by the application of moisture, and thethickness of the veneer will be determined by the use to which theinlaid wood is to be applied. For doorin g purposes a veneer of aboutone-eighth of an inch in thickness may be advantageously used; but forfurniture'or wall decorations a veneer of about one-thirtieth of an inchin thickness will in general suffice. The height of the raisedpattern-surfaces of the die or the engraved roller used must correspondwith the thickness of the veneer employed; and the pressure used shouldbe such as to insure these raised surfaces entering to their full depthinto the veneered wood. Thus, supposing a piece of veneered wood, suchas that shown at Fig. 3, to be submitted to the pressure of aflat die orof a roller furnished with the pattern shown at Fig. 1, portions of theoverlying veneer, corresponding to the pattern ofthe die or roller, willbe forced to their full depth into the backing-wood, as shown at Fig.4.. It only now remains to remove the superiuous veneer by planing orotherwise, and the inlaid backing will then present a smooth evensurface.

When it is desired to obtain an intricate inlaid pattern in two or threecolors, the backing, which will in general form the ground color, is tobe overlaid by a corresponding number ot' veneers of different colors.Fig. 5 shows a pattern worked out in three colors, and Fig. 6 a sectionof a piece of backing-wood covered with three layers of veneers, ofcolors corresponding with the pattern desired to be reproduced. In thiscase the die or roller used for effecting the inlaying will have theseveral portions composing the pattern which it carries arranged atvarious heights corresponding to the various positions of thedifferently colored veneers relatively to the backing. By theacting-surface of the die being thus stepped, some parts of the inlayingwill be produced by forcing down portions of the veneers to a depth thatwill bring the uppermost veneer to a level with the mean surface ofthebacking.

Again, other portions of the veneer will be forced down to bring thesecond veneer on a level with the backing, and other portions ot' theinlaying will be formed by the depression of that veneer which lies nextto the backing to the surface-level ot' the backing. This is clearlyillustrated in the sectional view, Fig. 7. By submitting a slab ofbacking thus inlaid to the action of a planing-machine, the superuousveneer may be readily removed, and a smooth even surface will resultfrom this operation, and the pattern will appear as indicated at Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 shows an interlaced design produced infour colors, and suitableas a central design for marquetry work. The raised surfaces of thepatterndie will, as before explained, correspond in height with thethickness of the veneers employed, their arrangement being such as toinsure the reproduction of the various parts of the patterns in thecorrespondingly-colored veneers.

Fig. 9 shows in section the die used for reproducing the pattern.

Fig. 10 shows in section the veneered wood intended to be impressed, andFig. 11 shows the same after it has been impressed.

It should be remarked that, instead of employing dies, as abovedescribed, it may be convenient, where simple detached patterns arerequired, to employ a kind of stencil-plate of corresponding thicknessto that of the veneer intended to be inlaid, and to place the same inposition over :theveneer preparatory "i 1 to submitting ittdtheactionot' the press The stencil-plate will then serve to im'press:the wood in the same manner. as an engraved1 die; or, instead oftheplates being used loosefV they may be attached to the follower ofthe? press or to the uface of the pressing-roller, and i they will thusformlcheap yand ecient dies.

As armodiiicationlofthe mode of applying; g the veneers, wheny "two,three, `or `more` colors are required to `be? inlaid,to"produce asirn-Uple detached pattern, we sometimes arrange,

pieces of dii'erentlycolored veneers side ,b side on the backingatoneand the same level die will not be required to` produce the inlay# 1 ingin dierent-colbredwoods;

Fig. 12 shows aconventional oral devicef` 1f produced after themannerjnst described, the 1 .Y

Bower A being forniedfrom apiece ot' veneeri" "il indicated by thedotted'lines that circuniscribe it, and the stein'fBlB/fandleaves CandDbeing severallyvproducedffrom veneers indicated` g by the dottedlines which circumscribetheni.1`

Having nowexplained the nature ofour in# 1I vention, we Wishv claimy y li The process of3 in ayng wood, consistingi g essentially ofdisplacing,`"`by compression, "a,`

wooden backingatp'oints" in the surface of they"` e latter according tothedesign to be produced," y

by pressinginto` suchflweod backing one or`j 1 more veneers bymeansot a'die or rollerhavly 1 t1"to understood that we,"

ing the design in.` elevation corresponding to the thickness of theoverlying veneer or v`e";" l

neers, and then retnovingthe superfluous veneer or veneers not embeddedin g g the wood, `f substantially as described.` i

Dated the 25thlday `of'.` November, 1875.A

i "JAMES THORNTON.

`JAMES THALLON.

Witnesses: i

H. K. WHITE, f f A.S. BIsHoIg@ l l66 Chancery Laae,London.

